Question 2: Were study participants sampled in an appropriate way? (If the sample was randomized, we considered it as 'Yes'). |
Question 3: Was the sample size adequate? (We assessed whether the authors inform if they achieved the calculated sample size). |
Question 4: Were the study subjects and the setting described in detail? (We assessed whether the complete sociodemographic and epidemiological characteristics were provided, especially vaccination status). |
Question 5: Was the data analysis conducted with sufficient coverage of the identified sample? (We assessed whether at least 90% of the positive samples were submitted to serogroup test). |
Question 6: Were valid methods used for the identification of the condition? (We assessed whether the study used culture and/or PCR for the identification of carriers). |
Question 7: Was the condition measured in a standard, reliable way for all participants? (We assessed if the samples were collected using a sterile swab). |
Question 8: Was there appropriate statistical analysis? (We assessed whether the authors inform how the overall prevalence was calculated). |
Question 9: Was the response rate adequate, and if not, was the low response rate managed appropriately? (We did not assess this question). |
Author/Question |
Q1
|
Q2
|
Q3
|
Q4
|
Q5
|
Q6
|
Q7
|
Q8
|
Q9
|
Overall appraisal
|
Central America
|
Gutierrez et al.17[17] Gutiérrez NN, Martínez I, Pérez LI. Prevalencia y dinámica de portadores asintomáticos de Neisseria meningitidis en estudiantes universitarios de una escuela militar de Ciudad de La Habana. Rev Panam Infectología. 2006;8:9-17.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Martínez et al.16[16] Martínez I, López O, Sotolongo F, Mirabal M, Bencomo A. Portadores de Neisseria meningitidis en niños de una escuela primaria. Rev Cubana Med Trop. 2003;55:162-8.
|
Unclear |
Unclear |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Martínez et al.18[18] Martínez I, Sierra G, Pardo G, Álvarez N, Armesto M, Mirabal M. Portadores nasofaríngeos de Neisseria meningitidis en trabajadores con riesgo riesgo ocupacional. Vaccimonitor. 2010;19:1-8.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Núñez et al.19[19] Núñez N, Martínez I, Izquierdo L, Álvarez N, López O. Portadores de Neisseria meningitidis y Neisseria lactamica en tres grupos de edades diferentes. Vaccimonitor. 2007;16:1-6.
|
Unclear |
Unclear |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Valdés et al.20[20] Valdés MJ, Martínez I, Sierra G, Camaraza MA, Cuevas I, Mirabal M, et al. Portadores de Neisseria meningitidis, caracterización de las cepas aisladas y respuesta inmune basal a VA-MENGOC-BC®. Vaccimonitor. 2008;17:7-13.
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
North America
|
Harrison et al.23[23] Harrison LH, Shutt KA, Arnold KE, Stern EJ, Pondo T, Kiehlbauch JA. Meningococcal Carriage Among Georgia and Maryland High School Students. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2015;211:1761-8.
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Low risk of bias |
Breakwell et al.21[21] Breakwell L, Whaley M, Khan UI, Bandy U, Alexander-Scott N, Dupont L, et al. Meningococcal carriage among a university student population - United States, 2015. Vaccine. 2018;38:29-35.
|
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Dull et al.22[22] Dull PM, Abdelwahab J, Sacchi CT, Becker M, Noble CA, Barnett GA, et al. Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup W-135 Carriage among US Travelers to the 2001 Hajj. The J Infect Dis. 2005;191:33-9.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Espinosa de los Monteros et al.30[30] Espinosa de los Monteros LE, Aguilar-Ituarte F, Jimenez-Rojas LV, et al. Prevalence of Neisseria meningitidis carriers in children under five years of age and teenagers in certain populations of Mexico City. Salud Publica Mex. 2009;51:114-8.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Kellerman et al.24[24] Kellerman SE, McCombs K, Ray M, Baughman W, Reeves MW, Popovic T, et al. Genotype-Specific Carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in Georgia Counties with Hiper- and Hyposporadic Rates of Meningococcal Disease. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2002;186:40-8.
|
Yes |
No |
Unclear |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Knudtson et al.25[25] Knudtson EJ, Lytle ML, Vavricka BA, et al. A comparison of meningococcal carriage by pregnancy status. J Negat Results Biomed. 2010;9:6.
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
McNamara et al.26[26] McNamara LA, Thomas JD, MacNeil J, Chang HY, Day M, Fisher E, et al. Meningococcal Carriage Following a Vaccination Campaign with MenB-4C and MenB-FHbp in Response to a University Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreak-Oregon, 2015-2016. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2017;216:1130-40.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Patrick et al.29[29] Patrick DM, Champagne S, Goh SH, Arsenault G, Thomas E, Shaw C, et al. Neisseria meningitidis Carriage during an Outbreak of Serogroup C Disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2003;37:1183-8.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Soeters et al.27[27] Soeters HM, Whaley M, Alexander-Scott N, Kanadian KV, MacNeil JR, Martin SW, et al. Meningococcal carriage evaluation in response to a Serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak and mass vaccination campaign at a College-Rhode Island, 2015-2016. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2017;64:1115-22.
|
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Wu et al.28[28] Wu HM, Harcourt BH, Hatcher CP, Wei SC, Novak RT, Wang X, et al. Emergence of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Neisseria meningitidis in North America. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;360:886-92.
|
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Unclear |
N/A |
High risk of bias |
South America
|
Nunes et al.15[15] Nunes AMPB, Ribeiro GS, Ferreira ÍE, Moura ARSS, Felzemburgh RDM, Lemos APS, et al. Meningococcal carriage among adolescents after mass meningococcal C conjugate vaccination campaigns in Salvador, 11. Brazil: PLoS One; 2016. p. 1–11.
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Low risk of bias |
Rodriguez et al.36[36] Rodriguez P, Alvarez I, Torres MT, Díaz J, Bertoglia MP, Cárcamo M, et al. Meningococcal carriage prevalence in university students, 1824 years of age in Santiago, Chile. Vaccine. 2014;32:5677-80.
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Low risk of bias |
Coch Gioia et al.32[32] Coch Gioia CA, de Lemos APS, Gorla MCO, Mendoza-Sassi RA, Ballester T, Groll AV, et al. Detection of Neisseria meningitidis in asymptomatic carriers in a university hospital from Brazil. Revista Argentina de Microbiología. 2015;47:322-7.
|
Unclear |
Unclear |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
de Moraes et al.31[31] Cassio de Moraes J, Kemp B, de Lemos APS, Gorla MCO, Marques EGL, Ferreira MC, et al. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Molecular Characteristics of Meningococcal Carriage Among Brazilian Adolescents. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2015;34:1197-202.
|
No |
Yes |
Unclear |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Diaz et al.35[35] Díaz J, Cárcamo M, Seoane M, Pidal P, Cavada G, Puentes R, et al. Prevalence of meningococcal carriage in children and adolescents aged 10-19 years in Chile in 2013. Journal of Infection and Public Health. 2016;9:506-15.
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Unclear |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Moreno et al.37[37] Moreno J, Sanabria O, Saavedra SY, et al. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B isolates from Cartagena, Colombia, 2012-2014. Biomedica. 2015;35:138-43.
|
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Safadi et al.33[33] Sáfadi MAP, Carvalhanas TRMP, de Lemos AP, Gorla MCO, Salgado M, Fukasawa LO, et al. Carriage rate and effects of vaccination after outbreaks of serogroup C meningococcal disease, Brazil, 2010. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2014;20:806-11.
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |
Weckx et al.34[34] Weckx LY, Puccini RF, Machado A, Gonçalves MG, Tuboi S, de Barros E, et al. A cross-sectional study assessing the pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in subjects aged 1-24 years in the city of Embu das Artes, São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2017;21:587-95.
|
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
N/A |
Medium risk of bias |